This is “Fasting is Hungering for God.” Fasting is hungering for God. It’s hunger that drives you and compels you. But it’s what you feed on that leads you to the place God has for you. In this message with Jentezen Franklin, identify what’s filling your hunger. If it’s not spiritual, it’s carnal. If it’s not leading you toward God, it may be drawing you away. To hear more inspiring messages from Jentezen Franklin, visit http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/watch… & subscribe to this channel: http://goo.gl/yfkXHy
the following program is sponsored by
friends and partners of kingdom
connection
[Music]
hello and welcome to a new year we’re
still early
in 2020 and this is the time of the year
that we love to give ourselves to god we
put him first and we give him our best
through fasting and prayer if you’re new
to fasting or you just need some
inspiration in your life
visit our website and i know that it’ll
be a blessing to you there are plenty of
resources to encourage you for a brand
new year
i pray today’s message will awaken your
spirit to a deeper hunger
for more of god in this new year like
never before
and it’s going to teach you the
importance of fasting and brokers
[Music]
fasting is hungering
for god and it sounds so simple
but i want to tell you that when you
fast some things
that you probably need to expect that
that at some point the fun run wears off
at some point it becomes a grind at some
point
you begin to hear the voice what’s the
use this is stupid
when you want to quit the most that is
the time
that the fast is being most effective
not only
is god taking notice of you but satan is
taking notice of you
when you’re fasting there is in your
body
something called greelen g-h-r-e-l-i-n
greelin in in the simplest way that i
can say it
is what makes your stomach growl
have you ever been sitting maybe it’s
about to happen now
already and this growl comes up and it’s
embarrassing it’s an
embarrassing noise that comes from the
middle of your body
and you have absolutely no control over
it
well greelen is this um it’s this
hormone it’s called the hunger hormone
that causes your stomach to growl and
it’s also what
triggers the feeling of hunger in your
body
nobody has to go around and try to
remember
to be hungry because you have greelen
and greelen assaults you about once
every two or three hours
and he it grumbles and it
makes you know that you need
to eat it’s that growling noise in your
body
that will only stop embarrassing you
if you feed it a twinkie if you feed it
a cookie
if you give it a cheeseburger it’ll calm
down
and get used to that because you’re
gonna hear it a lot over the next few
days
nobody tries to remember
to eat because you have hunger hormones
that stir you up all through the day and
say
feed me you haven’t eaten lunch you
haven’t eaten breakfast
feed me feed me
how many of you have good greelen that
works
say amen so here’s what i’m saying to
you
you’re going to think that god is
recreating the miracle that he did in
the book of joshua
when he made the sun stand still it’s
going to feel like the day
is not moving and you’re going to look
at your watch and you’re going to think
it’s got to be
6 30 in the afternoon and it’s going to
be 9 30 in the morning
and you’re going to be so hungry and
you’re going to think time has stopped
this is
incred i can’t do this this is nuts
but that’s when the fast is working
that’s when you will begin to understand
what jesus did
and what he commanded that his disciples
do
in seasons of fasting and prayer and my
point is this
i want god to give you such a spiritual
greelen
hormone spiritual hunger for god
that all through this fast there’s a
stirring
i need to read my bible i need to pray
i need to worship i need jesus
i can’t have another year like i had i
don’t want to go through another year
where i just kind of go through the
motions of christianity
i want to hunger for god
and i’m praying that spiritually there’s
a growl
there’s a there’s a disturbing thing on
the inside of you
that says i need god i need god my
family needs god i need to fast and i
need
to pray i’m praying that that will
become
so real that you will
reach a point that your spiritual life
becomes as
active as your snack life
i mean your snack life when that when
that
hormone of hunger gets going you’re
you’re always looking for some chips
looking for some salsa looking for some
almonds looking for this looking for
that
i’m praying that your spiritual hunger
for god is as active as your hunger for
snacks
when you don’t pray you get just
as miserable as you feel when you
haven’t eaten
and it begins to grip you at some point
this
this this fun thing this thing if you
start out with
with a motive when i need to lose a few
little pounds and so i’m going to go
i promise you that’s going to wear off
real quick and your mind
will tell you there’s a whole lot of
easier ways to lose weight
than this
but when it does that’s when all of
these distractions are being cleared
away
and jesus is becoming real if you let
him
in your life in a powerful new way and
that that that annoying gnawing
hunger that we get when we don’t eat
physical food
i’m telling you that now you’re going to
have that same
gnawing in the spiritual dimension for
spiritual food
and i pray that somebody says
i want a spiritual hunger to grip me i
want to ask you a question are you
hungry after god are you willing to say
in 2020 i’m not willing to live this
year
like i did with some things last year
i’m not willing to sit
here and just go through the motions
because i’m hungry and fasting
is hungering for god
all along in our journey we need to show
god that we hunger for him nothing else
can satisfy
in the book of second kings seven
there’s the story
and the bible said that the city was
completely surrounded
and israel had been cut off and all the
inhabitants
were under siege it was such a crisis
that they had run out of food the
rations were gone
and they were in a dire dire condition
they became so desperate because they
didn’t have anything to eat they became
so hungry that the bible said things
that would have been
unacceptable for consumption now
they’re fighting over they’re so hungry
that they’re fighting over things that
normally they would never
even consume and eat for example the
bible said the people in this city
became so hungry
that for 80 pieces of silver you could
buy
a donkey’s head and they would peel the
skin
off of the donkey’s head and cook it and
that was
how desperate they were to have anything
to eat
and if that wasn’t bad enough the bible
gave another example
and it said the people were so hungry
that for five
pieces of silver you could buy a cup of
doves dung doves
waste you see when you’re hungry
if you don’t consume the right things
with to feel that hunger then you will
begin to feed on things you never said
you would consume i believe with all of
my heart if you don’t direct
your spiritual hunger and seasons to
feed
and hunger after spiritual things that
those
those hungers that if you don’t direct
them
toward god in the word and worship in a
greater relationship with jesus
then those hungers will direct you to
the wrong things
and you’ll begin to feed on things on
the internet and you begin to feed on
things
that are carnal that begin to leave your
soul
lean and empty and your and you’re
drying up and spiritually
it’s been so long since you had a touch
of jesus
because you’re feeding only the carnal
things
and it’s really a god hunger that’s
crying out
come back to me come and seek me in
fasting and in prayer and draw near to
me and i’ll draw near to you but we
don’t take time to ever feed our hunger
for god
and when we try to substitute junk
food donkeys heads and doves dung
i believe that if you do not address
that spiritual hunger for more of god
you will start filling it with more and
more and we try so desperately to feel
what only god can feel
and it’s another thing another trip
another entertainment
another distraction another let’s go to
the game let’s go to the lake let’s go
to the beach let’s go to the mountains
let’s try this let me get that house
let me get that car let me try this new
project and we keep trying to feel the
god
hunger but there is a gnawing and a
grumbling
inside that says nothing can make
the need of god in your life but seeking
him
and when he comes when you seek him
first
then all of these things are added unto
you
the lepers in the bible said that there
were lepers
outside of that city
in other words they were outcasts they
were i mean it’s bad to be inside the
city
literally where people are buying
and eating donkeys heads and doves done
and these guys were even more desperate
because they were lepers and that
disease would cause
literal parts of your body to fall off
and
and spiritually speaking their life was
falling to pieces
they were outcasts they were told you’re
not even important enough to be on the
inside
of the rest of us and i felt the lord
spoke to me as i was
preparing this little sermon and he said
to tell some people
that you don’t dare let the devil tell
you that you’re unimportant
in 2020 you don’t dare let the enemy
tell you
that you don’t matter you don’t dare let
the enemy tell you
that you are to sit there and just die
because sometimes the least likely
people
are the most hungry people sometimes the
people
who are most disadvantaged and
overlooked
and said you’re not pretty enough you’re
not talented enough you’re not gifted
enough
but boy if they’ve got hunger look out
because hunger can do for you
what talent and gifting cannot do for
you
in the story i’m preaching there were
four lepers outside the wall
they were outcast and their life was
falling to pieces
but they were hungry so hungry that they
said
i can’t they asked this question why
sit here until
we die see the only thing that will move
you
out of your comfort zone out of
complacency
into the the things that only god can do
for you this is what the lord told me to
tell you
he said the only thing that will get you
there is hunger
the only thing that lifted them out of
their self-pity
was hunger the only thing that lifted
them out of their excuses we might as
well nobody else is doing anything
we’re all dying so we’ll die here
together the only thing that pushed them
was hunger the only thing that caused
them to begin to move toward their
destiny
and a brighter day was hunger and hunger
will drive you and push you
and fasting is hungering for god
the bible said that there were four of
them
and i think probably one of them was
sitting there
and he had tacos on his mind
one was sitting there and he had fried
chicken on his mind
one was sitting there and he had krispy
kreme doughnuts on his mind
but one stood up and said i can’t sit
here
i can’t have another year like i
had we’re dying
we’re dying why sit here until we die
he says you know if we enter the city
he’ll keep us alive and we’ll live but
if they kill us we’ll die now listen to
this thinking listen to this now
therefore come let us surrender to the
army of the syrians
if they keep us alive this guy was a
college graduate i’m sure
we shall live if they kill us
we shall die that’s brilliant isn’t it
but why sit here until we die
that hunger began to drive them
he began to hunger and he said there’s
got to be more
and it was the hunger that began to move
him
toward the direction of the plan and the
purpose and the miracle that god had for
him
and i believe with all of my heart that
there are things that god will do for
people
when they hunger for him when they fast
and they pray
fasting is hungering for god and when
you begin to hunger for god
suddenly you move up out of the
challenges and the comfort zone and you
move up
out of self-pity and up out of
depression and hopelessness
and the hunger begin to move and they
begin to take steps
four of them toward the enemy’s camp
things even got more desperate inside
the walls of that city so much so that
the bible gives one more
astonishing description they became
so hungry that the bible said they begin
to bowl
and eat their own babies their own
flesh and blood and make bargains and
say we eat your child today
we eat my child tomorrow this see we
don’t understand hunger
we don’t understand hunger i’m talking
about people who were so
desperate that with hunger
and what i want you to understand about
that is
is that when people do not feel
the spiritual hunger
for god with spiritual things
in homes and families and marriages when
they only
feed on donkey’s heads and doves dung
and carnality
and think that’s enough to hold your
marriage and bless your family
when you only feed on carnal things
and you don’t feed spiritual hunger for
god
with a hunger for god then guess what
you start turning on one another
you start devouring one another you
start attacking one another
and the enemy comes and divides families
and divides home
and it’s really a sign of a growl for
somebody who needs to begin to consume
spiritual appetite and get a hunger for
god that changes our attitude
that opens our eyes to to the bigger
things
not just devouring one another
i’m praying that somebody will hear me
preaching
that will say i cannot have another year
like i had i cannot sit in this
addiction
for another 12 months i refuse to live
like this again
something’s got to give i’m desperate
and i’ve got a hunger for god that only
god can
fix and god can fulfill and god can do
in my family and in my home
the bible said in lamentations four and
verse nine
to be slain with the sword is better to
than to be slain with hunger
one translation said it’s better to go
down fighting
than to sit there and die
for good or bad hunger drives you
esau came home from a hunting trip in
the bible
and the bible said he was so hungry that
he was
almost home but his brother jacob came
out
and he said listen i’ll offer you a bowl
of beans
spiritual hunger but i’ll offer you a
bowl of beans
if you’ll give me the birthright and in
a moment of weakness because he did not
feed
the hunger for god he tried to put
carnal things
in for the hunger of god and that’s why
fasting is so important that’s why it’s
not for people all around you
but it’s not for you this is for you sir
this is for you dad
this is for you business person this is
for you college student
this is for you god says there are
things that
hunger will take you to that you will
never reach
until you hunger for me because i have
it all
i am the one who lifts one up and pulls
another
down i am the one and you know what he
promised in matthew 5
they that hunger and thirst for
righteousness
shall be filled
the bible said that esau lost his
birthright
because he fed
that real hunger with
donkey’s head so to speak and doves dung
instead of a hunger for god
i close with this what got the prodigal
son
out of the pig pen what made him come
back
home to the father what was it
it wasn’t the smell of the stench
it wasn’t the disappointment of
the friends who abandoned in him after
he had spent all of his money
it wasn’t the filth that he was living
in
none of those things got him on the path
back to the father’s house
it was one thing that brought him back
to the father
in luke 15 and verse 17 he asked a
question
how many of my father’s servants
have bred enough to spare listen
and i perish
with hunger the thing
that drove the prodigal son up
and out of the pigpen and the filth
back to the beauty and the love and the
grace of the father’s house
he said it himself i
am hungry it’s
hunger that will cause prodigal sons and
daughters
when somebody is fasting for them hunger
will wake them up in the pigpen hunger
will wake them up
in their addictions hunger will wake up
the backslider
and if they won’t fast for themselves
when we begin to fast
when we begin to pray for our families
for our sons for our daughters
when we do that god says i
will use hunger as the
force that drives and pushes them
onto the path back to the father’s house
when nothing else works pleading and
trouble with the law
and all kinds of things and all kinds of
ramifications of that life when nothing
else
works jesus put it like this in math
mark chapter nine
this kind cometh
not out but by fasting in prayer
there are some of our family members our
friends our associates
people that you work with people that
you do life with
and they’re lost and they’re on their
way to hell and the only thing that’s
going to get them out of the muck
and the mire and on the path back to the
father’s house
is hunger and fasting is hungering for
god
and when a church with thousands and
thousands of people here and by internet
and at all of our campuses comes
together and
my stomach’s growling at 1 am but your
stomach is growling at 2 am
and somebody else has a growl going on
and it’s like a total
irritant to the devil and demons and
they say the scripture said this kind of
spirit
will only loose and release its grip on
people
when people are fasting and praying
i never want to close this broadcast
without giving you the
opportunity to know jesus christ as your
lord and savior
i believe a hunger has begun to develop
in your heart
something in you is reaching and
yearning for
this year to be different you’re like
those lepers that said i can’t sit here
till i die
something’s got to change in my life
well pray this prayer
i know god will honor it say jesus
receive me today i want you to be
lord and savior of my life
i ask you to forgive me
and cleanse me in your beautiful
wonderful name i
ask in the name of jesus amen
and if you prayed that prayer we want to
hear from you call the number that’s on
the screen we have people
who are standing by right now to pray
and agree for a miracle
or you know just to help you what do i
do next
what do i need to do how can i grow in
my relationship we want to help you
we’ve got
many things that we can do on line that
free material that will be
a blessing and jump in and join this
fast if you’re not
fasting with us i want to encourage you
our ministry is on a 21 day daniel fast
you can learn more about it on our
website
to tell you exactly what to do it’s not
too late jump in
and i believe as you become a part and
give yourself
to what god is doing in the nation in
the world
and in our hearts it’s going to change
your life and your family
even the atmosphere of your life will
change in our closing moments i want to
share with you one
of the unprecedented opportunities that
god has opened up for this ministry over
the last several years
the work that we’re doing in israel is
absolutely critical
the eshkol region borders the gaza strip
and it’s plagued
by near constant rockets and chaos
and here we’re building the eshkol
region
trauma center we’ve broken ground on it
and it’s under construction as i speak
i believe that we are fulfilling the
biblical prophecy of isaiah
that he spoke about in the 40th chapter
when he said
comfort ye comfort ye my people
so i want you to consider sowing a
firstfruits offering or gift
at the beginning of this year i’m only
going to ask you to seek the lord
and see what he would have you do with
your help
we will finish this in just a few months
and have a grand dedication there in the
holy land
and you’ll have a memorial for your
family
in the holy land that says to god i
have loved the nation of israel i
believe god will pour out blessings on
you like you’ve never seen before please
do your very
best we need your help on this project
here’s my announcer to tell you
how you can be a part each year
thousands of rockets are fired into
cities neighborhoods and schools across
israel
in eshkol an area immediately next to
the gaza strip
when the sirens sound families children
and elderly alike
have just 15 seconds to take cover and
bomb shelters
the trauma of terror ripples through all
generations from holocaust
survivors to the very youngest of
children
but it’s because of friends and
connection partners just like you that
we’ve been able to break ground on the
eschka fortified trauma center and play
school
here the brave families who live in this
combat zone will have a safe place to
build community
strengthen resiliency and receive the
counseling services they so desperately
need
give god your first and best as you
begin the new year by sowing a first
fruits offering
when you do you’ll be one of the first
to receive jensen franklin’s new book
acres of diamonds for your first fruits
offering of 50
or more we want to give you the acres of
diamonds kit including an exclusive
pre-order of jensen franklin’s new book
with your first fruits offering of 300
or more you’ll receive the acres of
diamonds kit
and will also include jensen franklin’s
legacy bible as well as an olive wood
flask and anointing oil from the holy
land
as a special thank you for your first
fruits offering of 1 000
or more this month you’ll receive the
acres of diamonds collection
including the special edition legacy
bible your name inscribed on the comfort
my people wall of recognition in israel
as well as a one-of-a-kind commemorative
art piece designed and created in
jerusalem
representing the hope of the children in
israel as we provide safe shelter
join us in blessing the nation of israel
and watch god bless your life for the
generosity and love you have shown to
his chosen people
visit us online today
charisse and i want to invite you to
join us on our holy land tour it’s an
amazing trip
unlike anything you’ve ever experienced
and we’ll be on the trip we get on the
buses our family will be on there and i
promise you
it will change your life 2020 is the
year to go
you’ve been thinking about it you’ve
been praying about it this is the year
to go
2020 god’s going to open your eyes to
things you’ve never
seen and experienced before in the holy
land get signed up today
this program has been sponsored by
friends and partners of kingdom
connection